Politics Area - Description

The Area of “Politics, Citizenship and Equality” of the IDEAS Foundation focuses on investigation and political analysis, particularly on issues related to the promotion of liberty and real and effective equality of citizens. Additionally, it pays special attention to advances of participation in political, economic, cultural and social life. Principally, it attempts to generate proposals that may contribute to the provocation of debate, reflection and political action.
The projects that the Area of “Politics, Citizenship and Equality” develops are centred on the following lines of work:
•Political thought: new challenges and opportunities for progressive thought from the present context.
•Electoral behaviour: intervening factors, different collective voting trends and tendencies.
•Citizen participation: mechanisms that complete and improve the quality of representative democracy, with special attention on the role played by communication and information technology in this realm.
• Equality and social inclusion: real situation, necessities and possible improvements in social justice and the eradication of discrimination in order to achieve a more cohesive and egalitarian society from an economic and social point of view.
Scientific rigor is supported primarily by a methodical viewpoint, which links the application of different quantitative and qualitative techniques for social investigation. The studies produced also benefit from the active involvement of external collaborators who are specialized in the academic disciplines being treated. Additionally, a key element of these studies is the integration of contributions made by multidisciplinary groups during different phases of the investigative process.

Politics Area - Objectives

From the Area of “Politics, Citizenship and Equality,” the IDEAS Foundation produces studies and reports to contribute to the design of politics oriented towards the following objectives:
•Attempt to help in the creation of a power structure that provides and guarantees more rights, liberty and equality to citizens.
• Offer ideas regarding democratization, participation and citizen mobilisation, incorporating the possibilities presented by new technologies.
• Propose measures for the improvement of the rights and living conditions of citizens which are new, rigorous, imaginative, and politically tenable for the realities of Spain and the world.
 

Recent News

  • 04.09.2010

    “The Socialists are now ready to help and to try to prevent a crisis, like the current one, from happening again.” This is one of the messages that Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, Leire Pajín, has communicated to the political party’s young officials at the Jaime Vera School, in Galapagar.

  • 02.09.2010

    IDEAS Foundation positively assesses the efforts of the Spanish Government, which were recently ratified during the visit to Japan of the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to make progress in projects of technological development of recharging systems in order to definitely open up the market for electric cars.  

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  • 19.08.2010

    As they have published some pieces in recent days, the government is finalizing the draft of the Law of Transparency and Access of Citizens to Information, which may be adopted at the first Council of Ministers of the new political course, which will be held on Monday, August 23rd, to meet later in the parliamentary process.

Articles

  • 26.07.2010

    Marta Plaza, a research assistant at IDEAS, examines the progress on equality initiated by the Spanish government in the European mandate which recently ended.

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  • 15.07.2010

    The author reflects on the lack of rigorousness on behalf of rating agencies and their more than possible interest in defending neo-liberal governments, against others which establish social democracies.

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Ideas in the News

  • 08.09.2010
    Queries - (Magazine by FEPS)

    Article by Marta Plaza, researcher in the Politics Area of IDEAS Foundation, and Soledad Ruiz Seguín, Director of Gender-based Violence in Junta de Andalucía, on the actions of the socialist party to promote gender equality in Spain. 

    Read article (in english)

  • 07.09.2010
    ABC, Suplemento Empresa

    Executive Vice President of IDEAS believes Spain will only go out of the crisis by making some reforms. In particular, he advocates deep changes in the labor market and pension system.

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